The invention generally relates to a toe ramp system for a snowboard binding. The system includes one or more spacers that provide improved control and improved vibration and/or dampening characteristics.
Snowboard bindings are typically categorized as being either strap-type bindings for use with soft-style snowboard boots, or step-in type bindings for use with snowboard boots having bales or some other form of mating device. Both types of snowboard bindings function to securely fasten the snowboard boots of a rider to a snowboard.
As the sport of snowboard riding has evolved, various new snowboard binding features have been introduced by snowboard equipment manufacturers to improve performance and to consequently improve their products. One such development is the addition of an adjustable toe ramp for snowboard bindings. The toe ramp enhances the transfer of the load and/or pressure from the foot of a rider to the snowboard to provide improved control of the snowboard.
A conventional toe ramp is mounted to the front end of the base portion of a snowboard binding, and typically includes a flat or upwardly extending front portion for engagement with the toe portion of a snowboard boot of a rider. The toe ramp improves toe-side edge responsiveness of the snowboard in comparison to bindings that do not include such a toe ramp. In particular, toe side edge forces from the riders' foot are quickly transmitted to the snowboard through the toe ramp as the snowboarder travels down a slope. Conventional toe ramps allow a rider to adjust the position of the ramp in the front to rear position and/or the side-to-side position to accommodate a variety of snowboard shoe sizes.
However, as a rider adjusts the toe ramp to a front position on the binding, a gap or void appears between a rear surface of the toe ramp and the base portion of the binding. The size of the gap is typically proportional to the size of the riders' snowboard boot. This gap can become clogged with ice and/or snow which could adversely affect the binding mechanism of step-in type bindings. Furthermore, the void does nothing to dampen vibrations or to absorb shocks that are generated by the snowboard and that travel through the binding, into the snowboard boot and to the foot of the rider.